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1) Badly Drawn Boy – Born In The UK: Badly Drawn Boy, having seen out his contract with indie outfit XL, has joined the big leagues by signing for EMI.

Disappointingly, while Damon Gough has never sounded more polished or safe, Born In The UK is the first record where inspiration seems to have eluded him.

The majority of the songs are slow-burning piano-based numbers and, although Gough has always sounded better backed by guitar, he has previously tickled the ivories to great effect on songs like Silent Sigh and Magic In The Air.

There are some good tracks – the energetic title track and the epic Long Way Round in particular – but Gough seems to be in worryingly infrequent contact with his mojo. Rating: 2/5

(Review by Rory Dollard)

2) INXS – Switch: It’s quite hard to take INXS seriously without the late Michael Hutchence. He was definitely the face of the band, and the person that seemed to embody the name INXS (in his life as well as his work). But the band have soldiered on without him, finding a new singer through the reality show INXS: Rock Star.

The winner, JD Fortune, does an admirable job on this album of trying to keep the INXS legend going, but his vocals do veer close to being an impression of Hutchence at times.

It’s clear that the rest of the band were just as important to the INXS sound as Hutchence, but unfortunately this only means their MOR rock now sounds very dated. Rating: 2/5

(Review by Wil Marlow)

3) Various Artists – Now Dance 2007: Now Dance 2007 records a more fertile period in dance music history than we’ve had for some time. The stripped down techno riffs that have been ruling clubland for some time has produced some crossover hits with the likes of David Guetta Vs The Egg’s Love Don’t Let Me Go (Walking Away) (featured here).

Of course on this mainstream compilation there is the lingering dodgy dance cover of an ancient pop hit, remixes of pop hits from the likes of Jamelia and Lily Allen, and like any compilation it’s hit and miss.

But there’s a lot here to get you excited about dance music again. Rating: 3/5

(Review by Wil Marlow)

4) Roxette – A Collection Of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs: Swedish duo Roxette is arguably one of the most successful pop bands to come out of Sweden. With over 45 million albums and 25 million singles sold, a greatest hits album must seem like a sure thing for their record company.

It features all the hits, from It Must Have Been Love to Wish I Could Fly, and also marks their 20th anniversary as a band. A celebratory affair then, but the two new tracks, including the new single One Wish, sound weak in comparison to their other, more familiar, offerings.

Even those well-known songs haven’t aged well, sounding irrelevant in the current musical climate, which makes this little more than a passably enjoyable nostalgia trip. Rating: 2/5

(Review by Lydia Hayward)

5) Various Artists – BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge: This eclectic mix of live tracks from the music industry’s recent favourites mixes original songs with some kooky inimitable covers. Regular listeners to the Jo Whiley show on BBC Radio 1 will already be familiar with many of these gems, and those who aren’t should get themselves acquainted.

Corinne Bailey Rae’s cover of Editors’ Munich fits her lazy Sunday morning style with ease, and Lemar’s cover of The Darkness’s I Believe In A Thing Called Love is a vast improvement on the exasperating original.

The Arctic Monkeys laughing their way through Love Machine by Girls Aloud comes close to making your licence fee worthwhile. Rating: 4/5

(Review by Rachael Gallagher)

6) Seachange – On Fire, With Love: The second album from English six-piece Seachange is a world away from the intimate, acoustic offering they originally intended as a follow-up to 2004’s Lay of the Land.

Perhaps afraid of being thrown in to an unpromising bracket that includes the likes of James Morrison and James Blunt, they have made a defiant record that is steeped in lashings of recent rock history. The trademark staccato guitar of Bloc Party features prominently – and effectively – throughout and on Shooting Arrows there is a soaring keyboard line that The Killers will be sorry they didn’t write.

The Key finds singer Dan Eastop donning his finest Arctic Monkeys mannerisms and although the pick’n’mix of influences can be distracting, it remains, for the most part, a cohesive and well-judged effort. Rating: 3/5

(Review by Rory Dollard)

7) Deacon Blue – Singles: This digitally remastered Best Of collection is a timely reminder that Deacon Blue were crafters of fine songs during their original decade-long tenure.

Despite being overlooked and sometimes derided as a bunch of 80s also-rans, the Scottish heroes had a fine catalogue of work, and while the likes of Dignity, Real Gone Kid, Fergus Sings The Blues and Chocolate Girl may sound a little dated, it would be difficult not to find the songs charming, if for nostalgic reasons alone.

New single Bigger Than Dynamite shows that mainman Ricky Ross hasn’t given away all his best tunes to sometime collaborator KT Tunstall. Rating: 3/5

(Review by Andy Welch)

8) Jeremy Warmsley – The Art Of Fiction: This collection of awkward electronica songs rises from the mire of bland indie pop. Warmsley’s literate, angular music often makes for an uncomfortable listen, though sometimes this hybrid of traditional instruments and off kilter beats is a success – the clever lyrics of Modern Children or the storytelling of 5 Verses.

But sometimes it’s not, with melodies sacrificed to words, and rhythms jumping out at strange angles. Guest musicians from Hoxton’s Betsy Trotwood, like Emmy the Great and Simon Mastrantone, add texture, but the ideas come in swoops and bursts rather than resembling catchy melodies.

It seems unfair to criticise an album for having too much going on, but this busy, brittle production feels very crowded. Rating: 3/5

(Review by Lucy Brouwer)

9) Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra – Ray Swing, Basie Swings: Foibles about authenticity aside, Ray Sings, Basie Swings certainly showcases Ray Charles’ vocal skills at their mid 70s peak. The late Count Basie is nowhere to be found on the recording, but his current “ghost” band do a decent job of providing recently unearthed, live Charles vocals with pristine new instrumental tracks.

While the Basie Band may not be as sparky as they were in their heyday, the real focus here is the superb singing. Several classics are included but brassy, bluesy new arrangements – coupled with Charles’ unique delivery – transform them.

The result is an invaluable entry in the Ray Charles catalogue. Rating: 4/5

(Review by Bobby Grindrod)

10) John Mayer – Continuum: Like Dave Matthews and Hootie And The Blowfish before him, John Mayer is an artist who has received critical acclaim, a truck-load of awards and massive commercial success in his American homeland, while here he remains relatively unknown.

But he might stand a chance now he’s picked up a thing or two from his collaborations with the likes of Eric Clapton, BB King, Herbie Hancock and more contemporary musicians such as The Dixie Chicks and Kanye West.

Continuum is a modern-sounding record, but with the right kind of tried-and-tested blues and soul techniques, on Dreaming With A Broken Heart in particular, that could see him hit the big time in Britain as well. Rating: 3/5